The Hero Chapter 61, a glee fanfic

CHAPTER 61

Finn spent the next few weeks on cloud 9. His audition video went viral on youtube, earning 5 million views within the first week of being uploaded. He was now relatively famous - everyone in Lima knew his name now, and anyone who watched the X Factor knew him too. Finn had been dubbed the 'Dark Horse' of the competition - he didn't have the experience or technical skill that some of the other competitors had, but he was able to make up for it in other ways.

The 6 Chair Challenge started in two days' time, and Finn, Caitlin, Barry and Cisco were sitting in the booth of a dirty, grungy, dive bar, looking at which auditions showed the most potential to win the competition, and would be Finn's biggest competition. A lot of the candidates were, without a doubt, good, but not many of them were world-class. Suddenly, an audition video caught Finn's eye. It was the audition of a girl called Ella Henderson. Finn recognised her name as he remembered reading about her in the paper as one of the favourites to win the whole competition. He pressed play on the video, and him and his friends sat back and watched the introduction, and then the audition…

"I'm Ella Henderson, I'm 21 years old and I'm from New York City. Today I'm going to be singing a song I've written myself. I've been writing my own songs since the age of 13. My grandfather Jerry was the reason why I'm into singing. I used to sing to him all the time. I used to put on little shows for him in the living room all the time. It's just something that really made me happy and put a smile on my face. The song I'm singing is a personal song to me because it's a way of me saying goodbye to my granddad."

Barry paused the video.

"Well her story sounds promising. Is she that good a singer?" He asked.

"Watch for yourself." Finn said, nudging the ipad.

"It's really nerve wracking knowing that I'm singing my own song." Ella continued. "It's like putting your diary out to the world. It's really scary, but my granddad always told me don't let anybody stand in your way, and if you want to sing, don't let anybody stop you." She said, and then walked on stage. After a quick introduction with the judges, Ella began to sing her song. There was a faint piano accompaniment backing her up.

You think you're missed,

Well let me tell you this,

The love I felt for you,

Has flown away

And now you see,

What you've done to me

So all I can ask is why, why

You made us feel like one,

I should've known that you were wrong.

Oh yeah, you did it on your own,

Now you got to go,

Oh no, I won't let you get me down,

You tried to hurt my feelings,

You stopped me dreaming,

But here I draw the line,

I wish you luck in life and goodbye

You let me think,

That you were so so true

Lows, lies, truth cannot lie

You wanted to go,

From a high straight down to a low

But all excuses here,

The reasons, they're, they're everywhere

Chasing rainbows can be fun

Been chasing you for so long

Oh yeah, you did it on your own,

Now you got to go,

Oh no, I won't let you get me down,

You tried to hurt my feelings,

You stopped me dreaming,

But here I draw the line,

I wish you luck in life and goodbye

Ooh

To listen to the actual song, click:

watch?v=yA5Z39aB8PI

Ella, of course, got 4 yesses and got praised extremely highly by the judges.

"Jesus christ." Finn said, putting his head in his hands. "If I had to put my money on any of the people we've seen so far, I'd bet on her."

Cisco shrugged.

"Nah, I'd bet on you any day."

Finn shook his head.

"Well then you're going to lose your money. I can't compete with that. She's clearly had a lot of vocal training. What about me? I'm just an ex-con with no actual music training."

Cisco glared at him.

"First of all, you're not an ex-con if you didn't commit the crime in the first place! And second, stop fucking selling yourself short. You're amazing Finn. And if you don't believe me, believe the judges that all voted yes."

Finn shrugged.

"I don't know, dude. All I know is that I need to do something unique to win over to the judges…"

The next night, Finn took the train to New York for the next round of the X Factor. The X competition would be putting them up in 3 star hotels during the six chair challenge. When Finn arrived in the Big Apple, he took a cab to the hotel where the contestants would be staying. That night, the judges would be watching back all of the audition tapes and would be cutting 60 acts from the 210 straight away. To keep the acts' minds off the harsh decision that was being made, the X Factor threw them a huge party at the lobby of the hotel.

When Finn walked in, he was flabbergasted. He had grown up without much money, so he had never been to a party like this. The closest he had ever gotten was in the basement of one of his football mates' house, and there was no comparison. There was a huge dance floor, where at least 50 of the acts were shaking what their momma gave them, there was a bar, and there were high tables too. As Finn was walking into the jam-packed party, someone bumped into him and began to fall. He turned and caught them before they hit the ground.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked. The person looked at him, and he realised who it was. It was Ella, the girl with the incredible first audition.

"Oh my god! You're Ella Henderson!" He exclaimed.

"And you're Finn Hudson. Your audition was so good! It was so emotional!"

"Yeah, your audition was amazing too! I literally cried when I watched it. And it's hard to make a guy who's been through prison cry."

She laughed, thinking that he was joking.

"Haha, very funny."

"No, I'm serious!" He said. "And I cried, partly because it was emotional, and partly because it basically showed me the standard of the competition. I stand no chance against people like you."

She shook her head.

"You were literally my favourite audition! It was so powerful! It was like I could feel the pain you were feeling."

Finn smiled.

"Thanks. It means a lot. And hopefully, we both make it through. It would be great to see you again, or better yet, sing with you."

Ella nodded.

"Yeah, it would be great!"

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Meanwhile, back in the X Factor studio, the 4 judges were painstakingly going through every single audition and cutting 60 people from the competition.

"We've got 72 hours of the six-chair challenge. It's not long." Simon said. "Anyone, at this point, we don't feel is going to cut it, we should send them home."

"Let's do it." Louis said.

"We've gotta be brutal." Nicole said, and they began mercilessly hacking away at the auditions.

"Talent this year is quite incredible." Louis commented, as they watched what must have been the 20th act. Everyone nodded.

"Yeah." Simon replied. "But who really was the best? Those are the ones who should go through."

"These guys were good, these guys were good." Tulisa said, holding up two cards that were two of the many boy bands in the competition. The other judges agreed.

"Yeah, I'd like to see them again." Louis said.

"He's my favourite. Hands down. Flat out." Nicole said, holding up one of the cards that was a young man. Tulisa raised an eyebrow.

"Really? More than her?" Tulisa replied, holding up a different card. Nicole nodded.

"Don't get me wrong, they're both incredible. But this guy, he's so raw. He doesn't have the years of vocal coaching that kill the rawness of his tone, and it works in his favour."

"Yeah, so he's definitely good. But the problem is, thinking ahead to the live shows, the competition goes from a singing contest to a popularity contest. With his past, will he really get the votes? The competition has never had someone like him before. And he's also got anxiety and depression mental health issues that can take over in a heartbeat when live shows start." Simon said, putting the card in the pile. They kept soldiering on.

"I mean this guy's not trying too hard. I like that." Louis said, holding up a different card. They nodded, and another audition came up on screen. Simon absolutely HATED this guy! He couldn't sing!

"Oh come on Simon! He's fun!" Nicole exclaimed.

"Yeah, and he's very ibiza." Tulisa added. Simon and Louis shook their heads.

"No, you're both wrong, ladies." Louis said, but begrudging put the card on the 'through' pile as 2/4 of the judges liked him.

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The next morning, at 9 am precisely, Finn stood in the same arena he had auditioned in, among the countless acts who were awaiting their fate. They knew that the judges had made a large cut, and that many of them would be out right then and there. Suddenly, the arena doors swung open and the 4 judges walked inside. Tension was palpable at this point. The four judges took microphones and began to speak to the contestants. Tulisa spoke first.

"Congratulations on getting through to bootcamp. Now, this is gonna be the toughest 72 hours of your lives."

Finn laughed to himself. He thought about all the times he had nearly died in the military.

"Yeah, I doubt that. Bring it on, guys." He said silently to himself. Nicole was the next to speak.

"We've only got 3 days to choose who's going to make it through to judges' homes."

"We've reviewed all the tapes, and the bar is extremely, extremely high this year." Simon said. "And we feel like some of you don't have what it takes to compete at this level."

"Guys…" Louis said, addressing not just the gentlemen, but everyone. "I'm sorry, but some of you are going home right now."

"If we call out your name, it means that you're going through to the next round of bootcamp." Tulisa said gravely. Finn closed his eyes to calm himself. He knew that vocally, he was good enough to make it into the top 150, but with his past, would the competition really want him on the show?

"The first person is…" Louis paused for dramatic effect, before continuing. "Jade Collins."

"Rough Copy."

"Jamie and Shelly."

"Jahmene Douglas."

"Finn Hudson."

YES! Finn let out an internal sigh of relief. He was through the first part of bootcamp. Jesus, they weren't kidding! This was really one of the most stressed he'd ever been. He certainly wasn't prepared for that. He wasn't really listening as the judges read out the rest of the names, as he was ushered into the vast backstage area. After everyone who made it had their name read out, the judges looked at the crying contestants who hadn't made it, and felt really bad.

"Guys, I'm sorry for the rest of you. Honestly. But this is the end of the road."

The unchosen acts left the stage in tears. Many of them were hugging each other in sadness. This was always the worst part of the competition for the judges. Having to kick out so many people at once was not easy!

The judges turned to each other.

"Right off the bat, making such a huge cut is so hard, but it has to be done." Nicole told the cameras. Because the X Factor was internationally televised, practically everything they did was in the presence of cameras.

"The thing to focus on right now…" Simon said. "Is on the ones we put through."

"The good people." Louis said and they nodded.

"It's their shot this week." Simon said. After everyone who hadn't been picked had left the stage, those who had were escorted back. There were around 150 of them now, still a lot, but a lot had gone as well. Once they were on stage, the judges turned back towards the acts.

"The hard work starts now." Louis told them.

"Tomorrow, you will all be competing against each other in a sing off." Tulisa said.

"Give it everything you've got." Nicole advised them. "Because in 72 hours, there will only be 24 of you left."

A big clock suddenly appeared on the screen before them. It was a countdown clock from 72 hours downwards. The competents immediately went backstage, where they were told their first task. Finn listened as one of the producers explained what was going on. The judges had split the acts into random lineups of 2-4, and the next morning, they would perform on stage alongside each other in a bid to stay in bootcamp. The acts tended to put with people of a different category to prevent arguing and sabotage, however a lot of that still occurred, even with those restrictions in place. Finn listened until one of the producers called his name.

"FINN HUDSON! FINN HUDSON!"

Finn jogged over to the man with the headset.

"Right here, sir." He said. The producer nodded and looked at the name of the other person in his lineup, and then announced his name.

"KYE SONES! KYE SONES!"

He quickly also popped up next to Finn, and they both smiled when they saw each other.

"Hey, I'm Finn." Finn said, shaking Kye's hand. Finn also remembered Kye from the research that he had done prior to bootcamp, and knew that Kye was one of the best contestants from the over 28s category.

"Kye. Nice to meet you." He said politely.

"Yeah, right back at you, man." Finn replied. Kye seemed to be a nice guy, and because they were competing in different categories, they wouldn't have a need to so

They were then given a list of suitable songs and their backing tracks, before being shown into an empty practise room. After a LOT of noise outside, having a silent practise room was blissful.

"So, which song should we do?" Finn asked, looking at the list. "There are a lot of great choices."

Finn was right. There were a mixture of pop, rock, soul, and Broadway songs on the list. They spent a good 10-15 minutes crossing off songs they didn't like, before finding one that they did.

"How about this one?" Kye suggested, pointing to one that neither of them had eliminated. Finn smiled.

"That's a great idea! Yes! And our voices would work pretty well together for it!"

They practised together for the whole day, and only got around 5 hours of sleep that night, before they were woken up to eat breakfast and then go back to the studio to perform.

"Morning." Finn said, walking into the studio and meeting Kye, who was already there. He smiled at him. Over the past 24 hours, he had gotten to know Finn a lot better, and he was a really great guy.

"Kye Sones and Finn Hudson, you two are up next. Please report to the green room immediately!" The P.A announced. They both took a deep breath.

"We got this." Finn said, confidently, although inside, his nerves were a mess. Performing alongside a singer as amazing as Kye could do one of two things: it could make him sound a lot better, or it could make him sound like a measly back up singer to Kye's stardom. Finn ignored the tiny voice that was telling him this, and he walked on stage with Kye.

"Hey guys!" Nicole exclaimed, excitedly, as they both walked on stage.

"Hey!" They both replied nervously.

"How are you?" She then asked.

"Good," Finn said.

"Pretty good," Kye said.

"I must say, as soon as I saw this lineup on the roster, I was so excited! So, Finn, Kye, take it away."

The piano started playing almost immediately, and the two of them sang together.

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I've been roaming around

Always looking down at all I see

Painted faces, fill the places I can't reach

You know that I could use somebody

Someone like you, and all you know, and how you speak

Countless lovers under cover of the street

You know that I could use somebody

Someone like you

Off in the night, while you live it up, I'm off to sleep

Waging wars to shape the poet and the beat

I hope it's gonna make you notice

Someone like me

Someone like me, somebody

Someone like you, somebody

I've been roaming around,

Always looking down at all I see

At the end of the song, the judges clapped wildly. There was no audience present in the arena, but the judges made up for it in their volume. Absolutely randomly, two of the best singers in the competition got to try their hand at singing a duet together and it worked perfectly. While they were singing, the judges nodded at each other, indicating that the two acts were obviously through to the final day of bootcamp.

"Guys…" Tulisa said. She seemed to be like a lead judge - she always spoke first. "Sometimes we have to sit and deliberate, and then talk about the performance, but throughout that performance, we all gave each other nods, and we want to see both of you back here tomorrow on this stage!"

Finn and Kye jumped up and hugged each other, before walking off stage. Dermott and a mic and cameraman immediately approached them for a quick interview.

"So, what was that like?" Dermott asked.

"Oh my god! That was the best! Oh my god! That was actually just the best!" Kye exclaimed, before walking away happily. Dermott then turned to Finn.

"What about you, Finn? How did it feel to absolutely kill that song, bring it back to life for fun, and then kill it again?"

Finn laughed.

"To be honest, it's probably been more stressful for me than the 2 years I spent in prison."

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The judges were discussing the two performers afterward.

"Those two are good! Very good!" Simon said, quietly, to the other judges.

"Yeah, the talent is off the charts this year. I can't even wait to see what they pull out of the hat for tomorrow."

Finn spent the whole night deciding on a song. It was his last chance to impress the judges before they decided on just 6 guys for the judge's house round. Finn had been watching the competition, and he spotted a couple of guys to watch. There was a boy called Jahmene Douglas who although suffered from severe nerves, was an extraordinary talent. There also was a guy called Christopher Maloney, but Finn didn't know whether he was in the over 28s category, or the regular boys category. When Finn went back to his room, he called Caitlin for help.

"Hey Finn! How's bootcamp going? Should you really be calling me right now? Shouldn't you be working?"

"Um… bootcamp's going great. I'm through to the final day, with a live audience, which is the six-chair challenge. But I have no idea what song to do. I need something unique if I want the judges to actually pay attention to me."

"Why not an acoustic song?" She suggested. Finn shrugged.

"Yeah, but what song?"

"Honestly, just be yourself, Finn. Don't do something stupid. Do what you know how to do. Take risks, but don't take too huge ones."

Finn thought for a moment and then smiled.

"Thanks, Cait. You just helped me decide on a song!"

"I did?" She asked, confused.

"Yeah, you did. Gotta go. Love you, bye." He said, hanging up the phone. Caitlin sighed. She never would truly understand that man.

Finn knew exactly what he needed to do. He needed to do something unique, and something that would set him apart from the others. When Caitlin said for him to 'be himself,' it gave him an amazing idea. He had the idea, and now he just needed to execute it to perfection…

Okay, I know this sounds like another story I wrote but trust me… it goes in a whole, completely different direction. Just keep reading and reviewing!